Four Georgia Northwestern Technical College students have been selected as the college’s semi-finalists for the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL), according to Trish Wiggins, coordinator for the college’s GOAL program.
 
Listed are students chosen as semi-finalists for the GOAL award showing (from left to right) the student’s name, county of residence, program of study, GNTC campus and nominating instructor:
 
• Allison Adams, Bartow, vascular sonography, Floyd County Campus, Brittany Cochran
 
• Jadison Holbert, Gordon, business and marketing, Walker County Campus, Leyner Argueta
 
• Ashley Norton, Walker, adult echocardiography, Floyd County Campus, Brittany Cochran
 
• William Robert Rutledge, Walker, drafting technology, Walker County Campus, Cory Allen
 
“We have four excellent students representing GNTC as finalists this year and each one has a different, but remarkable story. I believe the next round will be just as difficult as this round was in choosing a winner, as I know these four are true representations of the best GNTC and the Technical College System of Georgia have to offer,” Ms. Wiggins said. “I have no doubt, whoever is chosen as the winner will do an exceptional job as GNTC’s GOAL Student of the Year.”
 
GOAL, a statewide program of the Technical College System of Georgia, honors excellence in academics and leadership among the state’s technical college students. GOAL winners are selected at each of the state’s 22 technical colleges.
 
According to Ms. Wiggins, a screening committee of administrators at GNTC selected the four semi-finalists from a list of students nominated by their instructors.
 
The four semi-finalists will advance to a second round of judging at Rome Floyd Chamber. A panel of business, civic and industry leaders from the community will interview and evaluate the students and select one to be the college’s 2022 GOAL winner. 
 
The student judged most outstanding will be announced at the GOAL and Rick Perkins Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at noon at the Conference Center on GNTC’s Gordon County Campus in Calhoun.
 
The GOAL and Rick Perkins Awards luncheon is sponsored by The Seven Hills Rotary Club, Rome Floyd Chamber and Georgia Northwestern Technical College.
 
All college GOAL winners will compete in regional judging, which will include students from the other 22 colleges of TCSG. Three finalists from the region will be named and will compete in the state GOAL competition in Atlanta, April 25-28, and vie to be named as the 2022 statewide GOAL winner. The competition will take place at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead.
 
The state GOAL winner becomes the student ambassador for the Technical College System of Georgia. They will make many public appearances throughout the year, including addresses to the Georgia General Assembly, the Governor and other TCSG functions.
 
Kia Motors is awarding a new automobile to the state GOAL winner.